French Butterflies Buffon, Histoire naturelle des insectes - 1765–1785

A matched pair of original 18th-century French butterfly engravings from Buffon’s monumental natural history project. These plates depict a selection of European and exotic butterflies, shown with wings spread to illustrate both pattern and structure, and arranged in the elegant, balanced compositions characteristic of the period.

Printed from copper plates and finished by hand with original watercolour, these works predate modern entomological classification and use vernacular French names rather than Linnaean binomials. The soft palette, fine line work, and gold double-rule borders are hallmarks of Buffon’s Paris editions and make these plates especially decorative as well as historically important.

Works such as these were intended for learned collectors and cabinets of curiosity, and survive today as some of the most recognisable and desirable natural history engravings of the Enlightenment era.

Details
Origin Paris
Publication Buffon, Histoire naturelle des insectes
Date circa 1765–1785
Medium hand-coloured copper engraving on laid paper
Condition original antique condition with light age toning and minor edge wear consistent with age. Colouring strong and original.
Quantity two plates, sold as a pair

Plate title: Papillons à queue
English: Tailed butterflies
Plate number: Plate 72
Notes: This plate groups several swallowtail-type butterflies shown dorsal and ventral. The long tails and banded wings are the defining feature referenced in the title.

Plate title: La Diane et La Palatine
English: The Diana and the Palatine
Plate number: Plate 10
Notes: This plate illustrates two named butterflies, shown with wings fully spread. “La Diane” and “La Palatine” are vernacular French names used in the Buffon period rather than Linnaean taxonomy.

Both plates originate from Histoire naturelle des insectes, Paris, second half of the 18th century, and the numbering style and typography match the original Buffon-era engravings rather than later reissues.

Shipping and authenticity
Guaranteed original 18th-century engravings. Not later reproductions. Shipped flat, fully insured, and professionally packed.